Overwatch 2 has been released to roaring success. The game is the second installment in Blizzard’s incredibly popular shooter. With so many new and returning players and massive mechanical changes, it is no wonder that many have questions about the game’s meta. So we decided to make the Overwatch 2 Tank tier list to help you out.
We graded each Tank you can play in Overwatch 2 right now, and based their relative positions on the conceptual strengths and weaknesses of the characters themselves:
| S Tier | D.VA, Sigma |
| A Tier | Zarya, Junker Queen, Winston |
| B Tier | Orisa, Reinhardt |
| C Tier | Roadhog, Wrecking Ball, Doomfist |
Within this article, we’ll discuss all the unique strengths and weaknesses of each of these characters. And highlight why they’re performing so well, or so poorly, in the current meta. So keep reading to find out more!
Related: How To Rank Up Fast In Overwatch 2
S – Tier Overwatch 2 Tank Heroes
The S – Tier of the Overwatch 2 Tank meta is dominated by high-mobility heroes. The advantage is significant even when taking into account a more general playstyle, rather than a specific one adopted for all Tank heroes.
As we shall discuss later, tanks such as D.VA and Sigma both have great synergy with other fast DPS heroes like Sombra, Kiriko, and Genji. This can mean that breaking the enemy’s backlines becomes far easier. And disengaging and re-engaging can become incredibly swift, winning you games if executed correctly.
With that said let’s delve deeper into what strengths compelled us to rank these heroes within the Overwatch 2 Tank S – Tier.
D.VA
D.VA is probably the strongest Tank in Overwatch 2 right now. And she truly deserves the top spot on our tier list based on her massive in-game impact and overall versatility. She is excellent for players that are looking to quickly and efficiently rank up in competitive Overwatch 2.
Advantages
D.Va has gotten many buffs for her health and her shooting accuracy. Her entire kit is highly focused on dealing a significant amount of damage, and her abilities improve her efficiency to DPS much better in comparison to other Tank heroes in the game.
As Overwatch 2 has transitioned into a 5v5 team combat game, D.VA has been able to evolve her unique play style into one that can easily catch and eliminate heroes in close combat. D.VA’s mobility and Micro Missiles make targets such as Mercy and Sombra particularly easy to hunt and defeat.
Her Ultimate further extends her life as well. Giving her the ability to get a 2nd life and on top of that substantially increasing her damage capabilities.
Disadvantages
D.VA has received a few nerfs as of late, and this does mean that you have to adapt your playstyle to be more defense-oriented. The biggest nerf that D.VA has received is her Defense Matrix. This is why you should be incredibly careful of incoming damage from aggressive targets.
This is why prolonged fights can also be problematic for D.VA. As fights drag on her ability to sustain damage for her team is reduced, and this leaves far more opportunities open for a counterattack from the enemy. D.VA is best known for being able to dive into enemy ranks and instantly wipe out supports and DPS.
So playing her as a less aggressive tank will provide diminishing results, if you choose to utilize her in your future ranked matches.
Related: How To Rank Up Fast In Overwatch 2
Sigma
Sigma is an extremely effective and versatile off-tank. And is one of the most consistently strong tanks since the release of Overwatch 2. He’s not an easy hero to master, however, and requires a lot of team coordination to achieve its full deadly capacity.
Advantages
Sigma fits perfectly into the more traditional feel of a tank. If you like to be able to absorb a lot of damage and keep the fire away from your squad. Then Sigma is the perfect tank hero for you. His abilities are all oriented towards slowly taking space from the enemy and providing massive utility.
Moreover, Sigma has enormous damage potential, which far exceeds anything the other tank heroes can produce. This fact alone makes Sigma incredibly lethal as a tank because he can garner a lot of space advantage, and then defeat enemies by outclassing them in damage dealt.
Disadvantages
As we discussed earlier, the most important factor in Overwatch 2 is mobility. And it is in this attribute that Sigma’s major disadvantage exists. The eccentric astrophysicist has particular challenges in keeping up with other Tanks in the game.
Another issue is that because of Sigma’s lack of mobility, the most powerful meta DPS, which are highly mobile, like Sombra, Genji, and Tracer, is difficult for Sigma to counter and defeat. Especially because his Experimental Barrier ability is a stationary shield that can be circumvented with precise movement.
Sigma hasn’t changed a lot in Overwatch 2 and is still dependent on his teammates to truly be able to shine on any team. Nonetheless, he can be a great anchor tank for teams that are far more strategically minded and can produce some spectacular DPS results if given the opportunity.
Related: Overwatch 1 vs Overwatch 2 – What’s The Difference?
A – Tier Overwatch 2 Tank Heroes
These are tanks with exceptional abilities, and powerful group synergies. However, A – Tier is different from S – Tier in that they have glaring weaknesses that produce inconsistent results with the Heroes, depending on the skill of the player wielding them.
In this category we have the following heroes:
Zarya
Our A – Tier list for the Tanks in Overwatch 2 starts with the Russian tank Zarya. Right now we would say she is a strong contender to be one of the best heroes in the entire game, and not just tanks. However, there are some issues with the hero that stops it from truly becoming S – Tier.
Advantages
When Overwatch 2 was launched Zarya gained an incredible buff. All of her shield buffs were accumulated and pooled together. This allowed her shields to last longer and became far more effective. Zarya can essentially keep her shield up the entire match, and this makes her an immortal avatar of destruction.
Additionally, she does not need to utilize her Projected Barrier as she had to do back in Overwatch 1. This is because unlike the first Overwatch in Overwatch 2, teams only have a singular tank that needs to be kept alive, and you do not have to worry about an additional tank. So all focus can stay on Zarya as she stays alive and defeats her enemies.
Finally, Zarya’s super-powered beam is an exceptionally efficient damage-dealing machine. Many experienced players find it quite easy to maneuver their weapons around, and they provide a strong zoning utility in battle, on top of the obvious advantage of dealing copious amounts of damage.
Disadvantages
Even though Zarya is significantly powerful and versatile, however, has certain major disadvantages that lower her to A-Tier rather than S-Tier where we hope to find her if some patches or fixes rebalance her strength.
The first issue is that Zarya is vulnerable when her Bubbles ability is on cooldown. To survive she needs to win fights quickly and efficiently, or have a consistent stream of support that provide her with defensive utility. In the absence of this, she will not be as survive as the other S-Tier tanks mentioned above.
Finally, mobility is another issue that Zarya has acquired in the fast and agile meta of Overwatch 2. It is a huge disadvantage for her specifically in the current state of the game, and perhaps is the primary reason why we believe she is the perfect candidate for the A-Tier.
Winston
Another incredibly versatile tank in Overwatch 2 is Winston. Due to there minor ability changes that he’s seen in Overwatch 2, the hero has become even better than before. He is the type of tank that gives you the most feeling of brute force, and damage sponging.
Advantages
Winston’s most powerful trait is his ability to dive into the enemy’s territory. Moreover, his close-range efficiency and readily available shields make him a deadly competitor to face off against in any tight corridor or space. He especially dominates any target that has lower HP than him even if he loses out on being able to damage the other hero down in time.
Winston truly has an amazing sense of survivability, and players will experience that they last longer in a gunfight when they ply with Winston than any other tank in the game. His style facilitates the current meta, with many of his abilities being able to allow him to jump the backline and take out powerful heroes like Genji, Kiriko, and Sombra.
Disadvantage
Perhaps the only real disadvantage that players will experience when playing with a hero like Winston is that they have to build their team engagement strategy around him. That means that they have to adopt a Plug-in and play strat.
Their team composition requires that you squeeze the enemy into narrow passageways, and dive them deep and cause them to panic due to the chaos. All the while wiping out their key heroes to gain a significant advantage. This might seem great, but heavily restricts potential team compositions and can be an issue in high-level ranked matches.
Junker Queen
The last tank on the A-Tier of our Overwatch 2 Tank tier list is the Junker Queen. She is a fan-favorite tank and has a wide range of abilities that allow you to play well in any scenario you might find yourself within. She’s excellent for someone looking to rank up and loves an aggressive playstyle.
Advantage
The Junker Queen specializes in close-range combat situations. And it is because of that that people enjoy putting her in the frontlines to deal massive damage, all the while soaking up a lot of damage that the enemies might have omitted onto the supports or DPS.
Her biggest differentiating factor from other tanks is her unique ability to heal and buff her teammates in battle. This means that she is a great utility for your DPS that can do far more damage if she’s on the field, and reduces the burden on your support as they can rely on the Junker Queen to mitigate some of the needs they fulfill.
Her ultimate is absolutely incredible and is able to cleave through enemies and inflict them with damage over time effects. Additionally, the Junker Queen can render the opponent’s healers useless. Which can be incredibly useful to snag wins in critical positions.
Disadvantages
It is unfortunate to see that the Junker Queen has recently been struggling to attain her full potential in the launch era of Overwatch 2. This has been largely due to the following reasons.
Her Commanding Shout ability is the only way that Junker Queen mitigates damage, and currently, the cooldown for this ability is too long. IT was recently heavily nerfed and it simply has not recovered since the Beta test of the hero.
Additionally, she also does not have numerous ways to fight enemies at a distance. Ranged heroes can completely circumvent her, and do not feel pressured at all in her presence, but rather can pick ad choose her allies to take out without much hassle.
Both o these factors cripple a lot of the playstyle that exists for Junker Queen, but her abilities and playstyle are good enough to still land her in the A-Tier spot of our list.
B – Tier Overwatch 2 Tank Tier List
The B-Tier is reserved for heroes that do not have the same level of advantages that the other Tanks named above in this tier list have, but do not have so many disadvantages either that they simply cannot be utilized to win competitive matches.
Orisa
One of the tanks that have had the most rework done to her hero abilities as well as stats has been Orisa. Unlike before, her new ability set is far more offensive and active, which is more viable in Overwatch 2. However, there are still some glaring issues to the hero that stop her from being great.
Advantages
Originally, Orisa performed like a turret behind a stationary shield. This lack of mobility could not continue in the new meta of OVerwatch 2, so sufficient work needed to be done to overcome this issue with Orisa.
The first thing that has changed is that Orisa’s abilities are far more proactive, and require intense close-range combat with enemies to execute properly. Additionally, Orisa obtained damage reduction and projectile abilities that make Orisa incredibly difficult to kill.
Additionally, Orisa’s Energy Javelin has the power to stun allowing her to engage heroes on a far more advantageous point. However, although these advantages seem plentiful there are simply some glaring issues that turn Orisa into a B-Tier tank in comparison to other more versatile tanks.
Disadvantages
Although Orisa is a good tank and mitigates damage well for herself, she simply cannot do the same for her team. This means her team becomes far more vulnerable and easy to kill in engagements if she isn’t actively ensuring their survival within combat.
Additionally, Orisa has a particular weakness to long-ranged damage-dealing heroes such as Sojourn and Ashe. Both of these Heroes are heavily favored in the current meta and thus require accurate play from the side of an Orisa player, or else their team might get completely run over.
The fact that a couple of significant damage dealers can turn the tide of battle out of the grasp of an Orisa player. Which is why we believe she’s more suited for B-Tier than any other.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt is possibly the best tank option for new players and beginners in Overwatch 2. This is because he is incredibly easy to understand and simple to play. The ease of execution for his abilities in particular makes him an effective choice, however, he does rely on external factors to be wholly impressive.
Advantages
Reinhardt is an incredibly agile hero. This is because of his Charge ability which has recently received some buffs and has gotten much better and simpler to use. Additionally, Reinhardt has the most durable shield in the game. The health of his shield is 1200, which is a significant defensive ability in the current meta.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, Reinhardt is currently struggling in the meta established in Overwatch 2. There are several reasons for this, but perhaps the most pronounced is that even though Reinhardt has a great Barrier Shield ability, it has recently been nerfed and has severely reduced his effectiveness.
Moreover, his Charge ability simply does not provide any additional advantage upon infiltration, and if not used properly can be a cause for death more than it is an ability to gain any meaningful tactical advantage.
Finally, Reinhardt’s current playstyle is incredibly difficult to manage if one does not grasp whether a fight is winnable or not. New players will be hesitant to jump in and will find themselves surviving longer, but players used to more meaty tanks might make the mistake of leaping in and dying instantly.
C -Tier Overwatch 2 Tank Tier List
This tier belongs to the tanks that are currently at the bottom of the meta for one reason or another. Their kit has some critical flaw that makes them practically unusable in competitive matches, but can be used if one merely wants to have fun, and not worry about ranking up too much.
We will highlight that in the hands of a skilled player, even these heroes will be powerhouses. However, on average their performance will be lower than the other tanks we have mentioned above.
Roadhog
Roadhog is probably in the worst place it has ever been as a tank. Its abilities were not drastically changed for the launch of Overwatch 2. Because the abilities retain their older ideology, they do not synergize well with Overwatch 2’s faster game place.
Advantages
Roadhog has had the healing factor of his healing buffed significantly. This means that as a tank it provides some additional sustain to the team when it comes to longer engagements. Roadhog also has good damage numbers that do not outclass other tanks. But can be a significant boost to any team that is otherwise lacking in firepower.
Roadhog synergizes surprisingly well with Kiriko. The combination of this duo can be deadly in battle. Her ability to cleanse the effects of Ana’s anti-healing can be extremely helpful to Roadhog’s biggest weaknesses.
Disadvantages
Unfortunately, due to Roadhog not being significantly changed for Overwatch 2, it retains a lot of issues from the first game. The most notable issue from the first game is that Roadhog is not a mobile hero at all. Roadhog also is limited in its capacity to be an all-rounder and thus often looked over.
Additionally, Roadhog is still a selfish tank. Roadhog does not provide much utility to the rest of the party. Because it cannot provide additional damage mitigations, your DPS might struggle a lot more to stay alive.
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball is a menace if it finds itself in the right hands. However, it shares a similar fate to Roadhog. The Hamster tank is quite strong, but the shift in format has hurt its ability to play efficiently. We recommend new players stay away from this critter.
Advantages
Wrecking Ball has recently received many buffs for its armor, shield, and knockback. This makes Wrecking Ball perfect for causing havoc on the field, and distracting enemy players. Wrecking Ball can also soak up quite a bit of damage from the enemy DPS.
It currently has the potential to obtain the most amount of HP in the game. And can have its health regularly exceed 1000 HP. Moreover, he pairs, with high synergy, with heroes like Genji, Sombra, and Sojourn.
Disadvantage
The issues with Wrecking Ball are as follows. The hero remains rather unusable due to other better options being available in the game. Moreover, the hero plays very differently from other heroes in the game. This makes it difficult to control the hero if you’re moving to it from another.
The tank in the new meta tends to jump into the heart of battle and die. This often leaves the teammates of this tank vulnerable to attacks. The hero is difficult to understand and utilize effectively but perhaps can get buffed in the future for better use.
Doomfist
Doomfist is probably the worst tank that you can play in Overwatch 2 right now. We urge that if you’re a new player and want to get into the tank role, then please stay away from using Doomfist. Not only is this hero difficult to learn, but has various design flaws, and abilities that make it difficult to use effectively.
Advantages
Doomfist has seen some incredibly drastic changes to his ability set with the release of Overwatch 2. The hero’s HP was increased from 250 to 450, but Doomfist no longer has one of his best abilities, Rising Uppercut.
Doomfist was given Power Block instead of Rising Uppercut. This is an ability used to mitigate frontal damage, which can be used to empower his Rocket Punch. This can do quite a bit of damage if used effectively, but positioning becomes incredibly important for that to happen.
He is a natural zoning hero.
Disadvantages
Doomfist simply is not a tank in the new 5v5 format. The hero does not have a significant enough health pool and has poor damage mitigation abilities. His Power Block into Rocket Punch combo is powerful. But without his Rising Uppercut, he loses far too much in damage. And cannot be truly considered a threat.
The hero is also extremely susceptible to being slept on by other heroes like Ana, Sombra, and Reinhardt. And can have many of his abilities interrupted by other heroes on the enemy’s team. This makes him by far the easiest tank you can die with. And no one wants the singular tank for your team to die so soon.
At the end of the day, the player’s skill will largely decide the outcome in lower-rank matches, but at the highest level of competition even small, nerfs and buffs can become tremendously significant. We hope you gained a better understanding of the Overwatch 2 tank meta from our tier list.
For any questions, queries, or concerns comment below. Till next time! Ciao.